Fort Wayne Festivals - Part of our Hot Summer, Cool City.

This post is part of our Hot Summer. Cool City.series, where you can discover great family getaways and even WIN a getaway for your family in our Fort Wayne Photo Contest. Learn more here.
Summer means festivals in Fort Wayne! From June through September, there is a festival almost every weekend to celebrate local heritage, great food, or entertaining arts. Many festivals are free, and all have a variety of activities for all ages. If you’re having a hard time deciding which weekend to visit, picking a week with an interesting festival is a great addition to all the Fort Wayne attractions open all year long. Our full list of festivals starts here.

A good festival has to have good food—many festivals focus on great eats in Fort Wayne and the surrounding areas. Ribfest has ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and other delicacies from around the country along with a stage packed full of great music.

Stop by Headwaters Park June 13-16 to grab a bite of this festival. Later, Junk Food Alley at Three Rivers Festival is open during from July 12- 20 and has classic carnival favorites and other festival food. St. Joe Pickle Festival, a celebration of all things pickle, is August 8-10 in St. Joe, Indiana. If pickles aren’t your thing, Taste of the Arts on August 24 allows visitors to learn more about arts and food in Fort Wayne. Check out performances and food in various locations around Arts United all day.

A few weeks later, Mad Anthony’s Oktobeerfest has beer, dining, golfing, and other great activities from September 6-8. Other festivals celebrate performance, music, and entertainment. Buskerfest on June 29 from 4-10 p.m. is free! Street performers are scattered around Wayne and Calhoun Streets downtown, so wander around the area to see mimes, drummers, musicians, balloon artists, and more. Food trucks and other downtown restaurants will be open for a quick food break during the festival.

IPFW RiverFest shows the great resource Fort Wayne’s rivers are to the city. Learn more about rivers with food, art, music, and the cardboard regatta on June 22 from 9 a.m. to midnight. A month later, stop by the Allen County Fair from July 23-28 has music, fine arts, crafts, animals, and more for people of all ages.